Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Revelation chapter 10

I get the feeling that when we read the book of Revelation, We tend to watch each scene unfold from a safe distance - I don’t think it was meant to read this way, • we’re supposed to feel a threatening closeness • we’re drawn into the dream – it’s our collective nightmare - John was certainly more than a spectator • characters approach him, converse with, and engage him ◦ in this chapter he’ll be told to take and eat what he has been shown • we do not merely read the Revelation, we encounte...

Revelation 9

When my children were small, I’d read to them every night First from a book of fairytales, then from a Bible storybook - we would pray, say goodnight, and turn off the lights • we were careful about the last thing that entered their minds before bed • I doubt we can prevent our kids from having nightmares ◦ but we can do things to help them sleep well ◦ and we can comfort them after a nightmare - I certainly would have never read from Revelation the last thing before bed! • this makes me wo...

Easter 2024

They came on the first day of week, first thing in morning They knew what spices and ointments to bring, - and knew what they were doing – they had done this before • what they did not know, was that overnight their world had changed • so what they found at the tomb was not what they expected - I love the lines: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen • they had come to the wrong place, looking for wrong thing ◦ they came to a cemetery looking for a dead bod...

Palm Sunday 2024

How did Palm Sunday become recognized as a holy day? I don’t mean, how did it get put on the Church calendar, - but why do we celebrate it? • Palm Sunday is not like Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter ◦ these were the major events in Jesus’ life and ministry • but Palm Sunday is not noteworthy in the same way ◦ in fact, if you’ll excuse the expression, it sort of fizzled out ◦ by the end of the week, Jesus had been crucified - I’ll share with you why I celebrate Palm Sunday • because this wa...

Revelation chapter 8

Revelation is not a normal book – in fact, it’s a conundrum We enter a mystical world of symbols without a map or compass - as I understand it, the Revelation is meant to open our eyes to a reality beyond our knowing or experiencing • there is no way for us to go straight into it with our rational minds - I’ll share something with you that helps me understand this • consider a person blinded by cataracts since birth ◦ when, as an adult, the cataracts are removed, they do not immediately see...

Revelation chapter 7

You may not have noticed, but something is missing The action that began prior to this chapter involved a magic scroll secured with seven seals - six of those seals have been opened (chapter 6) • but now in chapter 7, there’s no mention of the seventh seal • instead, we have come to an interlude before returning to the seventh seal - this will happen again (after six trumpets sound, then there's a delay before the seventh) • while I’m at it, “After this” is not chronological ◦ it does not r...

Revelation 6

A long time ago, I became interested in Douglas Coupland’s works of fiction One novel he wrote as if it were the journal of a young man traumatized as a child - his character had lived on a military base that came under a nuclear threat, and everyone was rushed into a shelter • this had left a lasting and foreboding impression on him • an entire chapter consists of brief scenarios he imagined of his life interrupted by an atomic explosion ◦ he gives graphic and creative expression to the ex...

Revelation 5

Among Jeremiah’s prophecies, we find one that is different from the rest. The difference is that this one brings a positive message regarding Israel’s future - after receiving the prophecy, Jeremiah says, At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me (Jer. 31:26) • when I wake up from a pleasant dream, I want to go back to sleep and continue it • that's because some issue was resolved, finally “worked,” or I just got a lucky break ◦ dreams help our brains work through stresses,...

Revelation chapter 4

One day, a few years ago, I was visiting my oldest daughter Her oldest daughter, came to me and said, “I dreamed you last night” - she had told my daughter, “I dreamed grandpa” • Jennifer asked her, “Which grandpa?” she said, “The bald one.” • fortunately I have another dream story - in 1992, my life had been shattered by divorce • that summer a nine year old boy in the church sent me a letter ◦ he had colored a picture that looked like a church, with clouds in the sky ◦ a from one giant cl...

Revelation chapters 2-3

Chapters 2 and 3 may be the most well known section of Revelation At least two of our favorite quotations are found here - what’s the theme of these chapters? Answer: “Church Repairs” • in chapter 1 Jesus appears in a form not found in the Gospels • in his right hand he held seven stars–which represented the angels of the seven churches ◦ in scripture, the hand represents power, control, and ownership - so in these two chapters, Jesus acts as General Contractor has the seven churches in hi...

Revelation 1:4-20

Revelation gives us a unique picture of the inner life of our Christian experience It is much different from Paul’s carefully structured teaching - with his separation of the new self from the old self • and his contrast of having the mind of the Spirit versus the mind of the “flesh” • Revelation reaches into our inner lives through symbols and bizarre events Therefore, I feel comforted when reading the first few words of verse 4 - they have a familiar ring–like finding a street you know w...

Revelation 1:1-3

You may wonder, Why the book of Revelation? I admit, it is the most confusing and frustrating book in the Bible - it’s not an easy read – some images are very strange • they seem fairytale or mythical, except but even weirder  ◦ for instance, we find, not just a beast with ten horns, ◦ but it has seven heads (?) and ten crowns on its horns • there’s not another book in Bible exactly like this - but it is also one of the most fascinating books in the Bible • Revelation can work in us in ways...

A Canaanite Woman

Today’s story is challenging and difficult to understand It turns everything we think we know about Jesus on its head - it involves a foreigner in a different region of the map • the setting for the life of Jesus is mostly in Israel ◦ he passes through Samaria, and briefly sets foot in Gadara ◦ but in this story he goes north – the one and only time • it is most likely that Jesus wanted to get away from the crowds ◦ to be someplace where he and his crew could rest He “went away from there a...

Jeremiah chapters 38-39, 52

The stories we hear today will serve as an illustration They illuminate a line from the prayer Jesus taught us - you know it and you’ve prayed it–maybe many times • it is one-third of a petition “hallowed [revered] be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9-10) • it is that last line I hear in these two stories ◦ one teaches us what happens when we resist God’s will and the other when we surrender to his will - I don’t expect you to remember th...

Jeremiah chapters 36-45

I decided to continue in Jeremiah for another week There are two stories we will consider that I’ve always enjoyed - one reason they appeal to me is because they’re interesting • another reason is that they are meaningful • although the main character in each story is connected to Jeremiah, ◦ they have nothing else in common - both stories have two parts, found in two different places • so we will begin with the first part of each story, and then move to the second part • I hope you enjoy t...

New Year 2024 - Haggai 1:13-14

The two chapters of Haggai are about putting God first Israel had been driven from the land of Judah for seventy years - on returning to their homeland, one of their priorities was to rebuild the temple, • but there was a lot of work to be done, few workers, and limited resources ◦ they also had to construct homes for themselves • after awhile, a few setbacks, and discouragement, ◦ they began to slack off and, instead, they were making improvements to their own homes ◦ the danger of not hav...

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Joy

Even in infancy, people discerned that Jesus was extraordinary Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was led by God’s Spirit into temple - there he encountered Mary and Joseph and their baby • taking Jesus into his arms, he prophesied over him - then the elderly widow, Anna–who was herself a prophet, • she also encountered the holy family in the temple And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of [Jesus] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel (...

Third Sunday of Advent - Joy

Morning Talk: Jim Calhoun Luke 2:8-19, King James Version This is how I first heard the Christmas story. King James original from Linus van Pelt (from the Peanuts comic strip). I can’t say it makes me sad. It was a fine way to be introduced to Christmas. Later, when I was 11 or 12, I found our family Bible, my grandmother’s Bible and read it for myself. King James again. I loved this story but I didn’t much understand it yet. That was still a few years away. Then I found myself, my life in...

Second Sunday of Advent: Love

The Christmas story is compressed into a few pages in New Testament For instance, no sooner do the birth announcements arrive than the babies are born - first John and then Jesus • in Luke chapter 2 Jesus is born, and by end of the chapter he’s already twelve years old ◦ though the magi are often pictured alongside the shepherds at the stable, ◦ when they actually arrived in Bethlehem, Jesus was already two years old • through all the personal and political movement going on during this tim...

First Sunday of Advent: Hope

A few months ago, my grandson Calum began telling me what he wanted for Christmas Do you remember when it took forever for Christmas to get here? - now it’s like, “Is it that time again already?” • I used to be amused by people who left Christmas lights up all year • now I get it – they’re not lazy, they’re just old - we’re about to complete another lap around the sun • we pull out the old boxes, look at our bank statement to see what we can afford, and I take us back to the familiar story ...

Jeremiah 32-33

Chapter is not what we’ve come to expect from Jeremiah It is a short piece of autobiography, a personal episode in the life of the prophet Background King Zedekiah was the end of the line for the kings of Israel and Judah And he was in the last full year of his reign Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, was under siege the army of Babylon was at their gates Meanwhile, Jeremiah was behind bars "in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king" King Zedekiah placed him there aft...

Jeremaih 30-31

Two weeks ago, I pointed out a shift in Jeremiah’s prophecies Until now, his message was a reminder to Israel of all their failures - they had turned from their God and were rushing downhill • so Jeremiah delivered a message of condemnation, rejection, of doom and gloom • but now a light breaks through the dark passages ◦ there is hope for Israel after all - but if God made it possible for his people to return, • could they maintain a relationship with him this time? ◦ their history had ind...

Oddny & Steve Gumaer

Update on NOVI

Jeremiah Chapter 29

 A god who never surprises us nor could ever surprise us, a god we could know perfectly well, whose every move we could predict, who has no secrets, so there’s no mystery, no confusion, no missing pieces, is not the God of the Scriptures For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways,  declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth  so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9) - the only gods that never surpri...

Jeremiah 24-28

One thing we cannot say about prophecies of Jeremiah We cannot say God was silent –he did not sit back and watch passively,  - as his people destroyed their religion, their nation and themselves  • Jeremiah says God rose early to send all his prophets (Jer. 25:4)  ◦ in the Old Testament, to rise early signifies eagerness, a compelling energy  • God eagerly sent his word to his people  ◦ they would have heard him if there were equally eager to listen - but we also notice, God had a funny way...

Jeremiah 19-20

 One of the challenges I’ve wrestled with in Jeremiah, Is that it is so distant and unpleasant that it seems irrelevant or offensive - distant, because we are out of sync with that period of time and culture • we don’t share their norms, values, or kinship structures ◦ their geopolitical context was nothing like ours today ◦ their hardships are not our hardships • their language is foreign, their names are foreign, their cities are foreign ◦ moreover, they had ruined their relationship with ...

Jeremiah chapters 18-19

We’re going to make two trips to the Pottery Shack this morning The messages God had for his people required illustration - there’s an interesting angle to using pottery to reveal a truth • archaeologists depend on clay pots for vital information regarding ancient cultures ◦ even broken pieces of clay vessels have stories to tell • excavations dig up more clay artifacts than any other object ◦ clay doesn’t decay over time and can withstand water and heat - clay fragments provide the most re...

Guest Speaker: Ed Piorek - It's All About Love

Jeremiah 17-18

My senior year in high school, my best friend surprised me He said, “I don’t think I can justify bringing a child into this world” - that was something I was still looking forward to enjoying, • getting married and some day having children ◦ I knew about war and poverty and race riots and assassinations and environmental pollution • but my outlook was not so bleak as to rule out children - what God is describing in this passage is just that bleak! • there was no future for the people of Jud...

Jeremiah 13 - 15

The purpose of Yom Kippur was to resolve a problem Israel was the community of God’s people living in a world of impurities – some impurities resulted from contact with natural sources (not sinful) • others resulted from violations of God’s religious and social laws • these impurities affected the entire community, even God’s sanctuary and its furnishings – every year, atonement was made for the people and the sacred tent • Kippur, is usually translated as “atonement” and means “cover” ◦ th...

Jeremiah 11 & 12

To fully appreciate what’s here, we need perspective If we take an aerial view and rise high enough, – we’ll discover in Jeremiah themes and sayings from Deuteronomy • both use the metaphors of a circumcised heart and an iron furnace • both lay great emphasis on God’s covenant with Israel The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today (Deut. 5:2-3) ◦ it turns out, Deuteronomy is laid ou...

Jeremiah 9 & 10

 There were two times in the gospels when Jesus identified precisely what had to be done in the moment - once, when he told a wealthy man, “you lack one thing” (the man had to liquidate all his assets and follow Jesus) - another time he explained to Martha, “one thing is necessary” • then he defended the one thing Mary had chosen to do - it can be a big relief to narrow down what’s most important now to one thing Through Jeremiah, God confronted his people for their many betrayals - one of ...

Jeremiah 7-8

The first time I visited Shiloh in Israel, I loved it Finally I felt something extraordinary in Israel--like an energy vibrating up through the soil - that was on the path, before we had even reached the site • one strong appeal that Shiloh that appealed to me was that there was nothing there but bare hillsides • but for that same reason, Shiloh was a message of doom for Jerusalem - I knew about Shiloh from this passage in Jeremiah–it had always intrigued me • so I looked closer at scriptur...

Jeremiah chapters 5-6

 In 1989 Bob Dylan released the song “Everything Is Broken”   - it’s a bluesy song that I love listening to when I feel down but not out • when something that is important to you falls apart, ◦ or a lot of unpleasant things line up in your day, this song fits your mood ◦ lots of people, in different situations can connect with these lyrics • it sometimes seems everything, everywhere is going wrong - this was Jeremiah’s world 

Jeremiah chapter 3-4

Every year, my dad directed a summer camp in Williams, Arizona So that was our typical family vacation - one year, when all the campers were assembled in the chapel, • Dad began, “There was a murder in the forest last night ◦ he paused to let that sink in • then holding up a carving knife, he said, “This was the weapon” ◦ and “Here is the victim” – and he showed us a twig from an apple tree - he explained that once he cut the twig from the tree, • separated from its supply of sap, it was as...

Jeremiah chapter 2

I always been enchanted with the way this chapter opens If you look at the text, God’s speech is arranged in a poetic format - Hebrew poems do not look or sound like English poems • Hebrew poetry has a different structure and rules ◦ in chapter 1, Jeremiah had expressed his thoughts in prose (the ordinary written form of essays, etc.) ◦ but God’s messages were laid out in poems (God's speech is always in greater than the words he uses) • poetry gives language greater force ◦ it’s primary ob...

Jeremiah Chapter 1

There are several words in the Bible we don’t understand They pose a problem for us, because they’re common words, - and we assume we know what they mean • that is why we get confused when we come to them ◦ for instance: "name," "fear" ("Am I supposed to be afraid of God?"), "holy," and "sons of" • biblical Hebrew has a small vocabulary ◦ so it has to expand the meaning of various words ◦ that enabled biblical writers to describe spiritual values and experience - I thought a series of talks...

The Shepherd and the Star Pt. 4

The book of Proverbs is a collection of pithy sayings If you read it several times, those clever lines stick in your mind - for instance, here is one that comes to mind regarding this last week: Iron sharpens iron,  so a person sharpens the face of a friend (Pr. 27:17) • you might remember, last year, Guy Gray spoke here ◦ we met up again this past week -- Gut has been my friend for fifty years ◦ I was fortunate to meet him in the early years of my ministry • he guided me to a path of grea...

The Shepherd and the Star Pt. 2

About twenty years ago, Barb attended a seminar at work A psychologist lectured on Compassion Fatigue Syndrome - it is a common condition among healthcare professionals • their encounters with the suffering of others takes a toll ◦ if they are not treated yet continue to work, they can become numb ◦ they stop feeling empathy for their patients’ pain and grief • the speaker provided the audience with a list of symptoms ◦ Barb said as she was going down the list checking boxes, she was thinki...

The Shepherd and the Star Pt. 1

Last week, God’s question to Elijah was, “What are you doing here?” We’ll start with that question: “What are you doing here?” - isn’t one reason that your here is because you came to hear what I have to say? • Okay, I feel uncomfortable when I think that or say that ◦ not only because it’s like I have to give an oral report every week (and feel like I'll be graded on it), ◦ but because I can’t take myself that seriously • I’m a mediocre guy who makes more mistakes than gets things right - ...

1 Kings 19, The Low Whisper

We’re going to spend time this morning with a unique person Elijah was one of the most gifted prophets in scripture - in fact, he became the representative of all the prophets, • right up to and including John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Lk. 1:17) • Elijah will teach us a lesson on hearing the voice of God

Mediations in Mark - Chapter 16

We’ve come to the last chapter in Mark’s gospel And to the enigma at the end of the book - that’s because the story ends at Mark 16, verse 8 • you say, “Chuck! My Bible still has more verses” ◦ “Yes, I know, but read the fine print” • the most ancient manuscripts that we have in our possession end at verse 8 ◦ scholars tell us the quality of the Greek writing changes at verse 9 ◦ the evidence supports the abrupt ending - this has become a fascination for me – so, it has been a frequent medi...

Meditations in Mark - Chapter 15

This story is about Christ the Victim becoming Christ the Victor I’m going to jump right into my meditations on this chapter My meditation: “I want Mark to use his remarkable storytelling skills to enhance the details of what is depicted here. I want him to enable us to visualize it and hear every sound. It would benefit us to begin to fathom what Jesus suffered and to feel the utter hopelessness of the cross. I feel it’s important to sit in dark shadow of his abandonment, aloneness, sorrow...

Meditations in Mark - Chapter 14

 My first thought is that this is Jesus these religious leaders want to eliminate. He has done only good; he has opened windows to the kingdom of God; he has advocated for spiritual and humanitarian reforms; and he has healed countless people. My second thought is the devious approach the religious teams use to eliminate him. There is something about injustice that disturbs me so intensely it keeps me awake at night. My feelings are intensified if the injustice is intentional, perpetrated th...

Meditations In Mark - Chapter 13

 The temple plays an important role in Jesus’ story The one clear accusation brought against him at his trial was, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’” (Mk. 14:58). - but they weren’t certain what that even meant Yet even about this their testimony did not agree (Mk. 14:59) • I tend to think, if something was sacred, it is sacred forever ◦ if God visited a place, the ground would always be holy ...

Meditations in Mark - Chapter 12

For the last few chapters, tension has been growing The religious establishment has taken notice of Jesus – in this chapter, the conflict leads to a public showdown • this began at end of chapter 11 with priests, scribes, and elders By what authority are you doing these thing or who gave you this authority to do them? (Mk. 11:28) ◦ so the ‘And’ at beginning of chapter 12 is a continuation of that encounter ◦ the ‘them’ in verse 1 refers to the priests, scribes, and elders • the answer to th...

Meditations in Mark - Chapter 11

The chapter begins with Jesus’ dramatic entrance into Jerusalem But first, he gives instructions to two disciples regarding the colt he was going to ride - imagine this: the disciples go find the colt and begin untying it, • wouldn’t the bystanders assume they were stealing it ◦ so Jesus instructed them to say,

Jim Calhoun

Meditations In Mark - ch. 10 05/14/2023

When Nicodemus visited Jesus, his first words were, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God Nicodemus was correct -- Jesus is a teacher - Mark tells us teaching people Jesus' “custom” – his usual response when people showed up • that is what we witness as we watch Jesus move through this chapter • Jesus never ran out of things to say ◦ and every word he spoke was enlightenment - one of his teaching techniques was that he allowed people to ask questions • and when they did, he ty...

Meditations in Mark 9

There are at least two ways to read the Bible We can dive into it head-first or we can enter with our heart – of course it’s important to think about what we’re reading • but it’s also important to feel what we read ◦ to be responsive to the content of the text and how it affects us • I study Scriptures with my head and meditate with my heart – my meditations are mostly private • they consist of what God speaks to me regarding my own issues ◦ so why am I sharing my meditations in Mark’s gos...